Zutara Week 2011
by mintmm
Summary: Days three and six of Zutara week
1. Social Networking

**Note: It's a little late for Zutara week, I know. I'm not sure if I'll add the other five days or not. My ideas for the rest are a kinda... bleh.**

**Sort of modern setting, but Katara still lives in the South Pole. Ages are a little skewed here to make them work with what's going to happen. At the end, Katara is sixteen and Zuko is around seventeen and a half.**

**Day Three: Social Networking**

"Okay, class, tonight you start your newest project," Professor Hama said. It was almost the end of the school day. Katara Liu was sitting in the back of the room, drawing idly in her homework planner. "Everyone write this down. I've already said that you need Facebook for this, so I assume you all have one by now. In a minute you will reach into this hat and pull out a name, but first, these are your instructions: You will make friends with someone from somewhere else in the world. In a few weeks you'll write a paper. We'll go into more detail on that then. Yes?"

Someone in the front row had raised his hand. "This is like pen pals, except on Facebook," he stated.

"Something like that, yes," said Professor Hama. Without adding anything else, she passed around the hat of names. Because she sat in the back corner Katara got the last slip of paper.

"Zuko Hou—Fire Nation, Caldera City," she read quietly.

"Now, these other students are expecting messages from you all today, so don't forget." Professor Hama looked at the clock just as the final school bell rang. "Time is up for today. Have a good afternoon. I'll see you all Monday."

* * *

><p>"I thought you didn't want a Facebook," Katara's brother Sokka said, looking at the computer screen from behind her. "You said it was stupid."<p>

Katara sighed. "It's for school. Note that I have zero friends on here. It's gone as soon as this assignment is through." It hadn't been easy to find Zuko on the site. It seemed that there were a lot of boys with that name in the Fire Nation, but only one in Caldera City. She'd sent him a note explaining why he had to accept her as a friend. After she figured out how.

Katara sat back to wait for an answer. She decided that she needed to work on her math homework until he replied.

"Zuko Hou?" Katara hadn't even finished the first problem before her dad Hakoda walked up. "You're online with someone you don't know and there isn't even a picture of him?"

"I don't have a picture either, Dad. Anyway, it's a school project." She shut her book. The little chat box had appeared on the screen. "That was quick."

Hakoda looked a bit skeptical. "What kind of school project has you talking to boys you don't know?"

"Didn't you have a pen pal when you were in school?" Katara demanded. She was growing impatient with the twenty questions. "This is just like that, except faster. Technology has evolved since you were my age."

Having run out of protests, Hakoda left. Katara looked at the message.

_Zuko: Hey. I guess I'm Zuko._

_Katara: Yeah, I guess you are._

_Zuko: This project is stupid._

_Katara: Yeah. Well, I have a list of things I'm supposed to ask you._

_Zuko: Ask away._

Katara dug the list from her backpack, shaking her head. She couldn't believe she had to do this.

_Katara: The first one is: What do you look like?_

_Zuko: I'll put a picture up if you do. And we should take turns asking questions. I've got a list too._

_Katara: OK. Give me a sec to figure out how to._

_Zuko: Done_

_Katara: Ah ha. Got it_

_Zuko: Hey, you're kinda pretty. Better looking than most of the girls around here anyway_

_Katara: Thanks. You aren't ugly either._

That was true. Even with the scar that covered a good portion of his face, the Fire Nation boy really was kind of cute.

_Zuko: No need to lie I know what I look like._

_Katara: I'm not lying. Ask your question._

_Zuko: OK Favorite color?_

_Katara: Light blue Yours?_

_Zuko: Red. Next question._

_Katara: Uh... What's your favorite food? It also says I should ask if you're a vegetarian or anything like that._

_Zuko: I like fire flakes and, uhm, no. I eat meat and vegetables._

_Katara: We eat a lot of sea prunes here. I'm the same. My brother is almost the opposite of a vegetarian. He does eat vegetables, but he likes meat a lot._

_Zuko: How old are you and how many people do you have in your family?_

_Katara: I'll be sixteen pretty soon. My brother just turned seventeen and we live with my dad and grandmother._

* * *

><p>"My partner was Zuko and he's from the Fire Nation. This is a picture of him." Katara held up a picture for her class. "He lives with his sister and his dad. His mom died in a fire that gave him the scar over his eye." A few girls gasped and whispered to each other in the back.<p>

"Good, Katara," Professor Hama said. "Did you learn anything interesting about him?"

Katara bit her lip. "He misses his mom a lot and he doesn't really get along with his dad or sister. He and my brother Sokka talked a bit when I wasn't home and they're pretty good friends now too."

"All right, you may sit now."

* * *

><p>A couple months after the project ended Katara no longer had the Facebook. She still talked to Zuko through texts and e-mail. The morning of her birthday she was doing the former while walking home from the store.<p>

_Katara: Dad's throwing me a surprise party. They tried to keep it a secret, but I overheard them talking about it one day._

_Zuko: Ha. Do surprises bother you?_

_Katara: No. And thankfully I've known everyone they invited since preschool._

_Zuko: Everyone?_

_Katara: Yeah. Small town. I've gotta go pretend to be surprised. Text you later._

Katara walked in the front door of her house, shaking snow from her hair and tucking her phone into her boot.

"_Surprise!_" Katara put on her best startled face. As she knew they would be, her family and all her friends were there. She even saw people she rarely talked to and could hardly be considered her friends. A banner on the opposite wall said "Happy Sweet Sixteen!"

She took her parka off and carried to the kitchen and put on a party hat when someone handed it to her.

"Okay, little sister, the party was the main surprise, but we've got another one for you," Sokka said. Katara raised an eyebrow and he took her elbow, guiding her through the crowd of people. "We were talking and he said that he could come here for the weekend, since it's your birthday and all. Dad and I thought you'd like to meet him in person."

And there he was, her pen pal. He looked just like his picture, from the scar to the smile. Zuko had come for her birthday.


	2. Legendary

**Day Six: Legendary**

Kwa-Mai bounced on the floor of her grandfather's house. "Come on, Granddad! Tell us a story about the war! Please?" She and older her brother Gansu let their eyes grow wide, begging him. "A love story!"

"I don't want to hear a love story," Gansu complained. "Tell one with action and fighting in it!"

Their grandfather laughed. "All right. How about one with a bit of both?" They nodded eagerly. Kwa-Mai climbed over the wheels of his chair and into his lap. Gansu dropped to the floor in front of him. "Okay. Have I told you about Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Only about a million times, Granddad! Tell us how he met the Fire Lady." Kwa-Mai giggled. "She didn't like him then."

Gansu poked his grandfather's foot. "Yeah, and how he almost died for her!"

"Okay, okay. Zuko was looking for the Avatar at the South Pole..." Kwa-Mai and Gansu listened intently throughout the story. It was one of their favorites. "...and Zuko just jumped in front of the lightning. He didn't know it at the time, but it was more than just because she was his friend. He realized later that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if she had died then."

"But she saved him too, right, Granddad? She healed him with her water."

He nodded. "She did. Katara was a master waterbender. With the war over, Zuko got together with his old girlfriend Mai and Katara started dating the Avatar."

Kwa-Mai stuck her tongue out. "But you told me before that she acted like his mom! Isn't that gross?"

"Yeah! I wouldn't want to kiss Mom! Eew!" Gansu made a face too.

Granddad laughed again. "Everyone could see that Katara treated Aang that way, except them. Aang thought he loved Katara and she thought that she had to marry him because a fortuneteller said she'd marry a powerful bender and who's more powerful than the avatar?" Neither grandchild answered. "Things stayed like that for about six years. On Katara's twenty-first birthday she and Zuko kissed for the first time."

"And they got married and Katara was the first waterbender to be apart of the Fire Nation royal family!"

"Yes. Zuko is almost legendary for marrying someone outside of the Fire Nation. It has never been done before."

"Kwa-Mai, Gansu, time for bed. Granddad can tell you another story tomorrow." The two children made a face at her. "Now. Come on."

Kwa-Mai climbed down from her grandfather's lap. "Okay, Gran. Tomorrow you gotta tell us about Katara's brother. He was funny."

Gansu and Kwa-Mai left the room. "Teo, you told them that story _again_?" Gran asked.

Granddad smiled. "They like that one." Gran shook her head and followed the children from the room.

**Note: Yes, that is Teo from the show. Originally the grandfather was going to be Toph's husband, but I decided on him instead. He can be married to anyone you want, even Jin or Song if that's what suits you.**


End file.
